Related Articles

"It's a great chance to go back to France, to a big club and work with Paul Le Guen," he told Rangers' website. "I hope I can progress and be successful there.

"I enjoyed my time at Rangers. I would like to thank all the fans for their support and I wish the club every success in the future." Clement was less guarded talking in France: "I came to Rangers because I wanted to work with Paul and believed he could achieve things, but with him gone it's back to the situation beforehand where the SPL just isn't rated in France. I have ambitions to play for my country but I wouldn't achieve them by staying on in Scotland."

Smith was also encouraged by the decision of winger Chris Burke to accept a two-year contract extension which the 22-year-old had deliberated on for several months: "Rangers have a young team and we want to try and see them mature and play their best football. Chris has come through the ranks and got himself into a position where he is in the first team."

Burke, capped once by Scotland, admitted that he was partly moved to remain at Ibrox because he believes that both he and the club have been under-achieving in recent seasons: "I've been a Rangers player but I haven't been a successful Rangers player because I haven't really won anything yet."

Defender Ugo Ehiogu finalised his pay-off from Middlesbrough yesterday and could make his debut alongside David Weir against Hearts at Ibrox tomorrow.

Celtic have completed the six-month loan signing of Cameroon full-back Jean-Joel Perrier-Doumbe, 28, from Rennes. He will provide cover for Mark Wilson and Lee Naylor and Gordon Strachan has the option to sign him on a permanently at the end of this season.

Hearts striker Mauricio Pinilla, 22, has claimed he will not play for the Edinburgh club again, demanding that he be allowed to return to his native Chile.

He was previously with Verona and Celta Vigo, is currently half-way through a season-long loan from Sporting Lisbon but wishes to return to his first senior club, Universidad de Chile.

"I have been in Europe for more than three years and I am tired of moving all the time," he said. "I want to be settled in one place and that is only possible in Santiago, especially if I can play with Universidad de Chile where I started my career.

"At this point in my career I'm really not interested in money so I don't care if I don't play for six months."